This silver coin, a 5 Reichsmark piece dated 1935, is among the most recognizable numismatic artifacts of the Third Reich. Its reverse depicts the Potsdam Garrison Church (Garnisonkirche) in detailed architectural relief, and it is catalogued as Jaeger No. 357 (also KM 83). This is the variant without a date inscription on the church — as opposed to the earlier variant, Jaeger 356 (KM 82), which bears the inscription “21. März 1933” on the church facade and was struck exclusively in 1934. The present variant without date was minted in both 1934 and 1935.

Technical Specifications and Design

The coin is circular, with a diameter of 29 mm and a standard weight of 13.88 g. The weight of 13.89 grams stated in the object description falls within normal parameters. The fineness is 0.900 silver (90% silver, 10% copper). The obverse features the Reichsadler (German imperial eagle) with outstretched wings at center, the inscription “DEUTSCHES REICH” (German Empire) arching above, and the denomination “5 REICHSMARK” below. The date is split on either side of the eagle (19–35), flanked by two swastikas. The reverse presents the Potsdam Garrison Church in detailed relief, with the mint mark letter (A, D, E, F, G, or J) positioned below the church. The edge is smooth and bears the inscription “GEMEINNUTZ GEHT VOR EIGENNUTZ” (Common good takes priority over self-interest). The coin uses medal alignment (coin orientation).

Mints and Production

This coin was produced by six German state mints: A (Berlin), D (Munich), E (Muldenhütten), F (Stuttgart), G (Karlsruhe), and J (Hamburg). The Garrison Church series was struck in high mintage quantities and circulated widely as legal tender silver coinage in Nazi Germany, with a face value of 5 Reichsmark. It formed part of the broader silver coinage series (2 and 5 Reichsmark denominations) issued between 1933 and 1939. Alongside the Garrison Church motif, other commemorative 5 Reichsmark types of this period included coins honoring Martin Luther (1933), Friedrich Schiller (1934), and Paul von Hindenburg (1935–1939).

Historical Context: The “Day of Potsdam”

The coin commemorates a pivotal moment in the consolidation of Nazi power: the “Day of Potsdam” (Tag von Potsdam) of March 21, 1933. On that day, the newly elected Reichstag was ceremonially opened in the Potsdam Garrison Church, following the Reichstag fire that had rendered the Berlin parliament building unusable. At this state ceremony, Chancellor Adolf Hitler and President Paul von Hindenburg publicly shook hands — a deeply symbolic gesture intended to project the unity of the traditional Prussian-military establishment with the Nazi movement. The choice of March 21 was deliberate, as it coincided with the anniversary of the opening of the first Reichstag of the German Empire in 1871.

The political consequences were immediate and devastating. Just two days later, on March 23, 1933, the Enabling Act (Ermächtigungsgesetz) was passed, effectively dismantling parliamentary democracy and establishing the Nazi dictatorship. The coin thus memorializes not merely a building, but the very moment at which democratic governance in Germany was supplanted by totalitarian rule.

Notably, the coin had originally been planned to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Potsdam Garrison Church, which was constructed between 1731 and 1735 under King Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia. The Nazi regime, however, repurposed the design as a celebration of the first anniversary of Nazi rule, transforming what might have been a purely architectural commemoration into an instrument of political propaganda.

The Fate of the Garrison Church

The Garrison Church itself, whose distinctive architectural profile is so carefully rendered on the coin’s reverse, was severely damaged during a British air raid on April 14, 1945, in the final weeks of the Second World War. The ruins stood for more than two decades before the East German (GDR) regime demolished them in 1968 — a politically motivated act intended to erase the Prussian military heritage the church symbolized.

Postwar Legacy and Collector Significance

The production of silver Reichsmark coins ceased after 1939, as wartime metal shortages forced a transition to base-metal coinage. Following Germany’s defeat in 1945, objects bearing Nazi symbols were frequently confiscated and destroyed by Allied occupation authorities, though many coins survived in private hands. Today, the 5 Reichsmark silver coins of the Garrison Church series are widely collected as historical numismatic items, valued both for their silver content and their considerable historical significance. The modern sale and collection of these coins is legal for historical and educational purposes in most jurisdictions, although the display of Nazi symbols for propaganda purposes remains prohibited in Germany and Austria.

The present example, described as being in condition grade 2 and weighing 13.89 grams, represents a tangible artifact of one of the most consequential — and darkest — chapters in modern European history.